If Today Was Your Last Day
by Emri
Summary: Quinn Fabray knows that today is her last day, so what will she decide to do? What things does she regret that she wants to put right before the end and what things will she gain that will make it that much more painful to die? Faberry
1. Regrets

**A/N: I hope you like this, it was inspired by the Nickleback song of the same name. Please read and review...**

If Today Was Your Last Day

Chapter One- Regrets

Quinn Fabray flopped down on her bed and let out a long sigh as she tried to release the tension from the day from her body. Things had been piling up for her lately. Ever since she had rejoined the cheerios she had found that Coach Sylvester was being harsher than usual and it seemed she couldn`t get over her anger at Quinn for what had happened last year. Most days Quinn wished that she could just quit the cheerios and be happy but knew that she could never do it if she wanted to be the person she was before the pregnancy.

That lead her to another thing that was causing stress in her life: Sam. She had started dating him because she thought that was what the popular head cheerleader would do but he was getting really clingy. I mean he freaking proposed to her after only knowing each other for a few weeks. He was insane and to be honest she wasn`t really attracted to him. She knew that she should break up with him because she would only end up breaking his heart but dating him was just another thing that she felt she had to do.

She wouldn`t let her mental list of things that stressed her out get any further but still flashes of long tan legs and juicy full lips crept into her head. That was her biggest problem of all and ever since she had admitted it to herself it had just gotten worse. She was in love with Rachel Berry and had been since Freshman year. She wished that she could punch Finn Hudson every time he had his hands all over Rachel. She had watched Rachel all this time but hated herself for her feelings and resorted to torturing the small girl even though it almost broke her heart every time she did it. She had eased up on her after the pregnancy but still feared getting too close in case she couldn`t control herself.

With all of the things she wished she could do swirling around and closing in on her she decided to go for a run. It was ten o`clock at night as she threw on some sweats, a hoodie and her running shoes and ran out of her front door. That was another thing that was stressful in her life, her relationship with her mother. Ever since she moved back home her mother had tried to reach out to her but Quinn had remained closed off because she was afraid to be hurt again. She really wanted to have her mother back, the woman who comforted her and just held her.

She ran faster down the darkened streets to try to let her frustration out. Usually there would be no way that she would run this late because it could be dangerous but tonight she felt like she didn`t care as she listened to the night noises around her.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that as she turned the corner she ran full pelt into someone. Whoever it was, was smaller than her and was tackled down to the ground under Quinn`s weight. Quinn managed to avoid falling completely on the person by catching herself on her arms but she was still pressed into the person.

"I carry a rape whistle!" Quinn heard a shrill voice scream into the darkness and felt her heart beat more rapidly as she realised who she had collided with.

"I`m not going to rape you Rachel, its just me, Quinn." Quinn said comfortingly and held out her hand to help Rachel up. Rachel took her hand and was gently pulled to her feet and into the light of a street lamp. She had a surprised look on her face as to why Quinn was being kind to her. Quinn was surprised herself, she had stopped the outright bullying but this was a step up from the indifference that she usually showed the Diva.

"Oh my Quinn, you startled me, I was already somewhat on edge from being out this late at night. You see my elliptical broke this morning and I feel it necessary to exercise at least once a day so it was expedient to go for a run this late despite the possible dangers. Though I must say I am grateful that you caught yourself or I may have been more injured." She rambled on without taking a breathe.

"Its fine, I didn`t want to fall on you, Are you OK?" Quinn asked softly.

Rachel seemed surprised again but promptly answered, "No serious injuries, I feel that I will be able to finish the lap of my run."

Quinn realised that she was probably being too nice and if she didn`t want to give herself away she would have to leave though everything inside her was screaming at her to stay with the brunette just a little longer.

"I`m glad your OK, so I am just going to finish my run." Quinn said as she pointed in the opposite direction to the way Rachel was headed.

Rachel nodded and started to run away and called back over her shoulder, "See you tomorrow Quinn."

"Bye." Quinn muttered pathetically and watched Rachel until she ran around a corner. She started to run again but before she had time to get into a rhythm she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and her world turned black.

XXXXX

She could hear murmuring voices and could feel cold, hard concrete underneath her. She didn`t dare open her eyes or move but tried to listen to what the voices were saying. As her mind cleared somewhat so did the muttering. There was two men arguing close by.

"...so maybe we should just kill her." One man with a croaky voice said.

"We will kill her but it would be so much more interesting to mess with her first." A man with a deep voice answered him. "This is the daughter of Russell Fabray. That guy has screwed with us and all the guys so much that it would be good to make him suffer a little."

"So we punish him by punishing his daughter?" The croaky guy asked unsurely, "How?"

"We make her suffer by telling her we are going to kill her and then let her go for a day. She will run to daddy and then when we kill her it will destroy him." The deep guy let out a low chuckle and just as the croaky guy was about to protest, a smoother voice cut across him.

"Wake up the girl and lets carry out your plan Jim."

The next thing she knew, Quinn felt a large pair of hands, roughly shaking her. She opened her eyes and took in the sight of three men with masks on all stood in an abandoned looking warehouse. The man with the smooth voice started talking from the middle of the room whilst his two friends stood on either side of him and cocked the handguns they were currently holding.

"You were awake so you heard everything. Here is the deal we can kill you now or in one day`s time. If you choose to not come back then we know exactly who you are and we will hunt down everyone you care about and kill them. Its your choice Quinn Fabray."

Everything had to slow down. Her mind sped up and thoughts whirred around in her mind. If she left now she would have to find the strength to try and come back because from the certainty in the smooth man`s voice she knew he wasn`t lying. But she would have the opportunity to say goodbye to everyone and as a last screw you to the men, she would go nowhere near her father. Not that it was much of an issue anyway as she hadn`t seen him since he had kicked her out of the house.

"Where should I meet you?" She used all the strength she could muster to ask that question.

"Well we can`t have you coming back here to our hideout. How about the school you go to. McKinley. In the car park at this time tomorrow." He answered as a statement and not a question.

All Quinn could do was nod her head and the man nodded his as well.

"Rick, Jim, take her back."

At this the two men started to move forward towards her and she backed into a wall when they grabbed her and Rick took a cloth out of his pocket and held it over her mouth. When she had no other choice but to take a breathe she felt herself slip into blackness.

XXXXX

As Quinn stirred into consciousness she felt gravel under her cheek and could see faint rays of sunlight through her eyelids. She opened her eyes with a groan and found she was lying in the middle of the empty McKinley High school car park. She pushed herself to her feet and noticed that the sun was only just rising so she could probably make it home in time so that her mother wouldn`t know what happened. As she started to walk the 15 minute walk to her house she started to think about all the things that had happened to her the night before.

She didn`t doubt a word the men had said and knew that she was in real danger. She thought about calling the Police but quickly realised that it wouldn`t help her. She had no descriptions of the men, no idea where they had taken her and no real evidence of any kind. Given some time, the Police would find the men but she only had until 10 o' clock that evening. There was no way she would be able to protect everyone she cared about unless she made sure that she was the only one that got hurt. She was going to have to die. As the realisation set in, Quinn found that she was able to cope with the idea mainly because she knew she was doing it for the people she loved.

She made it to her front door and thankfully found her keys still in her pockets. She crept into the house and managed to make it to her bedroom without waking up her mother. She sat down on her bed just as her alarm went off and the radio clicked on.

If today was your last day  
>And tomorrow was too late<br>Could you say goodbye to yesterday?  
>Would you live each moment like your last?<br>Leave old pictures in the past  
>Donate every dime you have?<br>Would you call old friends you never see?  
>Reminisce old memories<br>Would you forgive your enemies?  
>Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?<br>Swear up and down to God above  
>That you`ll finally fall in love<br>If today was your last day

She tapped the alarm clock off after the chorus and let the song sink into her mind. Today was her last day and she could do whatever she wanted because there would be no consequences. How could anyone punish her or be angry when she would be dead tomorrow? Today she decided to live to it fullest. She could do anything she wanted to do and her mind had already started to formulate some big plans.

**A/N: Tell me what you think...**


	2. I'm Living

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews and all the alerts and favourites. They mean a lot to me so I updated faster than I was going to. I hope you enjoy it...**

If Today Was Your Last Day

Chapter Two- I`m Living

The first thing she did that morning was throw her cheerio`s uniform out of her bedroom window and it landed in her front garden with a rather satisfying splat. She turned to her dresser and pulled out a black pair of skinny jeans and a black band t-shirt and quickly put them on. She was going to need all the freedom she could get today and that was what these clothes could give her. It was an added bonus that she did genuinely like to wear that type of thing. She took one last look at her bedroom, knowing she wouldn`t be going back there and sprinted down the stairs into the kitchen.

Her mother, Judy, was sitting at the breakfast bar, sipping at her coffee and when Quinn ran into the room she nearly spilt it. She practically dropped the mug when Quinn walked around the counter and wrapped her in a huge hug. After a few shocked seconds she returned it and felt her heart warm when Quinn`s arms tightened around her briefly before letting go.

She picked up and apple and took a bite before standing in front of her mother and saying, "I just want you to know that I do love you and I have forgiven you for kicking me out because I am just so grateful that you took me back. I want us to be closer mom."

Judy looked at her then replied, "I love you too honey and we can do things to be closer because I want that as well."

Quinn nodded and grinned then leaned in for a brief hug before picking up her bag and keys and headed for the door. She stopped in the doorway and called back, "Don`t wait up for me, I`m going to be out late tonight." And with that she walked out of her house and got in her car.

As she drove towards McKinley she felt truly exhilarated that she was finally doing all the things she wished she could have done. She had made things right with her mom and know she was going to go and make sure she had no regrets in the form of Sue Sylvester.

The first thing she planned to do though was make sure she was late for practise so on her way to school she stopped off at Steve`s doughnut hole and picked up a box as well as four coffee`s.

She parked in the school car park and made her way towards the already practising cheerio`s but was interrupted when she once again crashed into a tiny body and it said a lot about her own athleticism that she was able to keep herself upright, hold onto the coffee`s and stretch out a hand to balance the person in front of her.

Rachel let out a little squeal before she was steady on her feet again and looked up into Quinn`s eyes. She was struck with how intensely they were looking at her and felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Quinn, we have to stop meeting like this." Rachel joked and Quinn laughed.

"Sorry , I didn`t mean to crash into you but I was actually looking for you. I picked this up for you on the way to school because I went to the Lima Bean."

Quinn handed her a cup filled with piping hot coffee and a different coloured lid to the others. Rachel was a little dubious as to what Quinn was trying to do but the gentle smile on her face practically made Rachel melt so she said softly, "Oh Quinn that is very sweet, but I`m a vegan so I can`t drink that."

"I know your vegan this is a vegan substitute. Soy milk." Quinn once again offered her a cup with a smile on her face and Rachel was dumbfounded and just took the cup. She sipped at it and sure enough she could taste the soy milk.

"This is so considerate Quinn, thank you and I assume this is you saying yes to the offer of friendship I extended last year." Rachel said trying to understand the situation.

"I would love to be your friend Rach but does that mean I have to bring you coffee everyday?"Quinn asked teasingly.

Rachel was once again rendered speechless by Quinn Fabray and the casual use of her name, spluttered out, "Of course not," Then added a few seconds later, "Only every other day." She said it dead seriously because she wanted to see how serious Quinn was.

"I can live with that." Quinn said once again smiling at her like she was the most important thing in the world. Rachel knew that she was serious and nodded her head with a return smile. Just as she was about to respond she heard a shrill voice scream across the car park through a megaphone, "Fabray, front and centre."

Quinn groaned and said, "Sorry Rach, I kind of need to go." Rachel felt a surge of disappointment flow through her but held it in as she responded,

"No, of course Quinn, I understand, I need to get to the choir room now anyway or I won`t get my hour a day before school practise in."

"Can`t take you away from that or you wouldn`t be the superstar that you are today so I`ll see you later Rach." Rachel looked for some trace of sarcasm or an insult but could find none. It was a genuine compliment and she felt herself blush slightly as Quinn walked casually off towards the football field.

Of course there was no way that Quinn was going to comply with Sue`s orders, not with what she was about to do, so she walked over to the bleachers and sat down. She took a sip of her coffee and a bite of a doughnut as Sue came storming over to her with Brittany and Santana walking closely behind each wearing a concerned look.

"Why do you think that it is acceptable to turn up late, not in your uniform and eating things not on the approved cheerio`s diet list?" Sue asked in a deathly calm voice with menace glinting in her eyes.

"Because I am not a cheerio Sue, I quit." Quinn said and accentuated it with a bite of her doughnut.

Brittany and Santana both looked shocked whereas Sue started to scream at her, "You can`t quit you either die or I kick you off the squad."

Quinn just shrugged her shoulders, passed the two spare cups of coffee to her best friends and walked away from Sue Sylvester once and for all.

She walked back to the main school building with a skip in her step. She crumpled up her empty coffee cup and threw it in the bin with vigour. She had never felt better about herself and her life then right now. She had started to make things right with her mom, Rachel was her friend and she was free of Sue, she just couldn`t believe that she had waited so long to do this. She walked through the main doors of the school as she had done hundreds of times before but this time she felt she had real power. She didn`t care about what anyone thought of her any more, she didn`t care about appearances. She didn`t have to be a cheerleader to feel good about herself or throw slushies. She was totally free.

That is when it hit her. Slushies. She didn`t have another part of her plan to carry out until Sam was done with his practise so she had the time to take care of another one of her regrets.

She now walked towards the cafeteria with a purpose as she thought of all the people that had been attacked with the cold drink. It had to stop and she didn`t have the time to set an example to the other kids by not doing it herself.

She walked straight to the slushie machine as soon as she walked into the cafeteria and the first thing she noticed was a couple of baseball players were walking out drinking their slushies. It was perfect because one of them had left their baseball bat right next to the machine. She shouldered the piece of wood, took a big swing up and, using all her strength, swung the bat into the machine.

The glass was the first thing to crack sending the liquid all over the floor. Another swing and the nozzle came off. It was at the fourth swing that the cafeteria workers finally realised what she was doing and she managed to get in a few more swings, completely destroying the machine, before she was stopped.

She could barely contain her grin as she surveyed the carnage at which point Principal Figgins came in and shouted across the room, "My office, now Miss Fabray." She nodded her head in acceptance and followed him out of the room. She passed the choir room as she followed Figgins and saw Rachel at the door.

"What happened Quinn?" Rachel asked with a concerned face as she watched Figgins walking down the hall in front of her new friend. Quinn had a huge grin on her face as she responded,

"You`ll have to wait and see Rach."

XXXXX

It had been about five minutes and they had just been sat in his office in silence as Figgins typed some things into his calculator. He eventually stopped and said to her.

"$600 is what you owe the school for the damage. You are in serious trouble Miss Fabray. As this is only your first offence I will let you get away without a suspension however you will serve two weeks detention and I will have to phone your mother." Figgins scolded her. Quinn winced at the idea that her mother would have to find out about her behaviour on her last day so she lied through

her teeth.

"My mother is out of town on business today Sir but she will be back tomorrow, so you can phone her then. As for the money she can write you a cheque tomorrow as my family are very well off."

Figgins contemplated what she had said for a while before agreeing, "Ok, I will allow that Miss Fabray but I will not tolerate any more shenanigans from you, understood?"

"Yes Sir." Quinn had to contain her smile as she walked out of his office having successfully avoided trouble. She walked back past Rachel, who once again stuck her head out into the now crowded hallway.

"Quinn?" She called unsurely.

Quinn walked over to her and said, "I have something I need to do in the cafeteria real quick but your welcome to come with me if you want."

Rachel thought about then quickly agreed and followed Quinn to the cafeteria.

"Oh my, what happened to the slushie machine? Not that its a bad thing." Rachel said as an afterthought as she saw the wreckage which had yet to be cleaned up.

Quinn turned to Rachel and answered, "Me."

She then walked over to the machine and stood on the table next to it. She had everyone's attention almost instantly, mostly as many were wondering why she wasn`t wearing her cheerio`s uniform. She raised her voice so everyone could here her and said, "This was an act of protest fuelled by me, your former head cheerleader. The slushies must stop and this was the way to make sure that happens. If I hear of anyone finding a way to slushie or torment someone, I will personally kick your ass."

With that last threat she got off the table and a path was cleared for her among the scared students. The bell rang just as she made her way to Rachel who just looked pleasantly surprised and she said, "We better get going Rach or we are going to be late for class."

Rachel just nodded and walked out of the cafeteria with her ex-nemesis.

XXXXX

It took Rachel until they were actually sat in their shared first class and Quinn had chosen to take a seat by her for Rachel to finally say something.

"Wouldn`t you rather sit by Sam?" Rachel asked and they both looked over their shoulder to Sam who was staring at them with a hurt look on his face.

"Nah, he`s so clingy I need some time away from him. He is kind of tiring to be around." Quinn answered with a sad look on her face.

"If he doesn`t make you happy then why do you stay with him?" Rachel asked.

"Who says I plan to stay with him?" Quinn asked right back and Rachel sat back and thought about what the girl had just said. Quinn had become a completely different person over night. This person was constantly amazing Rachel, doing all the things Rachel would advise Quinn to do, except for destroying the slushie machine because violence was never the answer.

The Teacher started the lesson but Rachel was far from concentrating on anything in the room, that was until Quinn leaned over to her. Quinn`s breathe tickled her ear and she couldn`t help but shiver because she loved the feel of the blonde so close to her.

"Ask me." Quinn whispered to her.

"Quitting the cheerio`s, making friends with me, destroying the slushie machine. What is all of that? What are you doing?" Rachel whispered back invoking a shiver of her own in Quinn. She was genuinely confused and Quinn`s two word response left her with even more questions.

Quinn stared straight into those chocolate eyes and answered, "I`m living."

**A/N: Please review...**


	3. I Always Wanted To Do That

**A/N: Thank you for the support. Here's a longer chapter because I'm feeling the love...**

If Today Was Your Last Day

Chapter Three- I Always Wanted To Do That

The cafeteria was bustling as Quinn walked in but no matter how hard she tried, she could not find Sam Evans anywhere. He was always incredibly clinging whenever she wanted him to go away but the second she started looking for him he disappeared into thin air. It was frustrating her to no end so when she finally plopped herself down at her usual cafeteria table it was with a huge sigh and the finger to the few cheerio`s at the table who glared at her. Santana looked across at her as she tucked into a huge BLT with extra bacon and asked, "What`s going on with you today Q?"

Quinn really wanted to be honest with her best friend so she said, "I am just really tired of living the life that other people want me to. I want to do anything, just because I can and not care about the consequences." Santana looked at her for a few moments before nodding her head slowly.

She leaned closer, shooting a wistful glance at Brittany and whispered, "I understand what you mean Q. Sometimes you want something so bad but you can`t take it because your afraid of what people might think. Eventually you get brave enough to just say, screw them all." Santana was now staring at the table as she finished her speech and Quinn leaned over and put her hand on her shoulder. She waited until there eyes were connected and said, "You just have to go for it." She really wanted to add on, 'A_nd I`ll be there for you every step of the way'_ but she knew that it wouldn`t be true, not after tonight.

Santana nodded before shrugging off her hand and saying, "Enough of this sap, we can`t be seen to have emotions. That stuff is for losers." They both smiled at each other and that was when Quinn noticed Rachel walking past there table. She turned around and grabbed the Diva`s hand and pulled her to the table. She looked like she was about to scream but Quinn quickly cut her off by saying, "Hey Rach, want to eat lunch with us?"

"Quinn, you really must not scare me like that but I would love to eat with you." She sat down and immediately Brittany pounced on her and gave her a huge hug that nearly engulfed the tiny singer.

"Hey, its so cool your here because now Quinn`s being all different we can probably be friends." She looked to Quinn for confirmation and she just nodded her head and devoted all of her attention to the bacon in front of her. Rachel smacked her on the arm as she was about to take

another bite and she dropped her sandwich.

"Hey, what was that for?" She complained completely in-dignified.

"You were ignoring Brittany." Rachel replied matter of factly and Quinn and Santana sat there, shocked whereas Brittany just grinned, wrapped Rachel in another hug and said cheerily, "Thanks Rach."

"Sorry Britt." Quinn remarked finding it incredibly cool that Rachel and Brittany were already friends. Santana looked like she was about to say something to Rachel probably including the words 'singing midget' but couldn`t after she defended Brittany. Quinn happily continued to eat her sandwich that was until she spotted Sam walking into the cafeteria. She took a big gulp then stood from her seat and muttered over her shoulder, "I`ll be right back."

When Sam saw her walking towards him he let out a huge grin and wrapped his arms around her when she got close enough. He tried to give her a kiss but with a quick turn of her head it promptly landed on her cheek. She pulled out of his arms and looked him in the eyes as she explained, "Sam I don`t think that we should see each other any more." She was tempted to say something cliché like, 'Its not you its me' but thought that it might hurt his feelings more.

At first he looked shocked but then his face resembled something that in a different situation she might say was pride.

"I`m really proud of you Quinn. We were only ever together because it was expected and we needed each other for popularity. I am really proud that you don`t care so much any more. I heard about some of the stuff you did today and I am really impressed and hope you get the happiness you are looking for." After his little speech it was Quinn`s turn to be shocked and she just stood there as her gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek then walked away.

She watched the retreating form of the football player and felt really glad that she had someone like him in her life, even if she didn`t want him as a boyfriend she hoped they could still be friends.

A slow smile started to spread across her face as she realised that she was free and she walked back to her table.

"So what`s new in the Ken and Barbie world?" Santana asked with very little interest and toying with her pasta.

"I just broke up with him." Quinn explained, her smile getting larger with every word. Two shocked gazes flew to hers and Brittany just said, "Its about time."

"What do you mean B?" Santana asked gently. Though they were all waiting for the answer, Quinn and Rachel hadn't stopped looking at each other.

"Its so obvious that they never liked each other, they were just using each other for popularity." Brittany said matter of factly.

"Is that true Quinn?" Rachel asked quietly

"I couldn`t have said it better myself." Quinn replied and Brittany beamed at the compliment. Rachel also smiled but for a completely different reason.

XXXXX

Quinn wanted to do something spontaneous. It was something she had never really been good at before and even now, though she had the desire, she still couldn`t think of what she could do. That is when it hit her. For the first time in her life she could say that she got inspiration from Noah Puckerman. It happened as she was walking down the hall towards her next lesson which she shared with Puck when she saw him walking in the opposite direction.

"Puck, where are you going?" She stopped him and asked.

"No way in hell that I'm going to a Math class, so I'm ditching, try it some time Q." He said then carried on walking out of the school. She knew it was just a passing comment and he didn`t expect her to go through with it but it was an intriguing idea. The thought of having to sit through lessons all afternoon was killing her anyway so she decided to go for it. As she made a beeline for the nearest exit she spotted Rachel about to walk into a classroom and made a split second decision.

She grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the hallway and pressed her against the wall, putting her hand over her mouth. Rachel`s muffled screams tried to fill the hallway but failed and when she recognised her captor she relaxed at which point Quinn moved her hand.

"Sorry about that but I had to make sure the teacher didn`t see you or that will spoil my plan." Quinn apologized. It was then that she noticed how close they were standing to each other. She could feel all the contours of Rachel`s body pressed against hers and her breathing sped up. They both started to lean into each other until there lips were just a breathe away and then the late bell rang and Quinn took a startled step away from Rachel.

They both looked away and tried to catch there breath whilst both considering what was just about to happen. Rachel was the first to recover and promptly asked, "Why have you pulled me away from my class Quinn, I am now late and will be in trouble?"

"Well I was hoping that you might want to come with me and seeing as you are already in trouble then it won`t matter if you skip the class altogether." Quinn responded hopefully and Rachel looked shocked at the suggestion but it wasn`t for the reason that Quinn thought it would be.

"You want _me_ to come with you?" It was Quinn`s turn to be shocked so she just nodded her head.

"Well you are correct, so where are we going to go?"

"Well I was thinking we could go shopping?" She says it as more of a question and Rachel quickly nods her head which flicks some of her hair into her eyes. Before she can think about what she`s doing she reaches forward and tucks the strand behind Rachel`s ear and her fingers graze her cheek.

Rachel coughs lightly then turns away and Quinn forces herself to do the same as they walk down the corridor together.

They don`t say anything more to each other until they reach Quinn`s car and she opened the door for Rachel. She gave Quinn a small smile and muttered 'thanks.' The awkwardness only lasted until Rachel turned on the stereo and ' Barbie Girl' came blasting from the speakers. Rachel couldn`t stop laughing as Quinn quickly changed the CD and explained, "Its Brittany`s CD."

Rachel managed to take enough of a breath to reply sarcastically, "Of course it is."

After that things were considerably less awkward as they started talking about there musical tastes and continued on even as they walked into the Mall. They were in the middle of arguing about whether or not Madonna should be pushed off a cliff when Rachel got distracted by a new music shop that had just opened. As she started to walk towards it Quinn followed her but not without whispering in her ear, "Does that mean I win the argument?"

Rachel turned to face her with a look of outrage and said, "Of course not, I will not let you murder such an incredible singer."

"You just don`t want me to go to jail because then we wouldn`t be able to see each other and you would miss me too much." Quinn teased and Rachel blushed slightly at the truth of the statement and struggled to find an answer. To save her from floundering Quinn took Rachel`s hand and pulled her into the shop.

"I know you want to get back in time for Glee club so we had better get moving." Quinn said and Rachel seemed to shake out of herself at the prospect of being late. She immediately walked over to piles of sheet music and began to flip through it with a focused passion. Quinn walked over too and started to flip through the books but after 15 minutes found herself bored out of her mind and she decided to have a look at what else was in the shop. It didn`t take her long to discover the selections of guitars at the back of the shop and she picked one up and started strumming the chords to the first song that came into her head.

This was her secret passion. Nobody but her mother and her two best friends knew about this and she loved to do it more than singing or cheerleading. She was lost in the music as she played and she didn`t even realise that Rachel was watching her until she strummed the last few bars and she applauded gently. Her eyes snapped open as Rachel smiled at her and said, "I didn`t know that you played. Why do you keep it a secret?"

"I guess that I just don't want to take the chance that people won't like my stuff you know." Quinn responded honestly whilst picking out a few random chords.

"Well you should consider playing in Glee sometime because I personally would love to hear you sing whilst you play." Rachel said genuinely and Quinn was suddenly struck with the thought that it might not be such a bad idea.

"Yeah, I just might," Quinn answered thoughtfully as she placed the guitar back on its stand. She noticed that Rachel had a book in her hand and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"I just need to pay," she said, lifting the book and walking to the desk to pay. Quinn followed and as the man was ringing up the book, Quinn noticed that Rachel was staring at a small gold charm bracelet through the glass of the desk. She had a wistful look on her face as she paid for the book and walked out of the shop. They had walked to the food court when Quinn said, "I have an idea, why don't you go and order us some food and I just need to go and do something. I`ll be back in a few minutes."

Rachel nodded but had a confused look on her face as Quinn sprinted over to a cash machine and withdrew some money. As Quinn was waiting she spotted a homeless man sitting nearby. She pocketed her money then withdrew some more, walked over to the man and gave him the cash. He looked as surprised as Rachel felt but Quinn had a huge grin on her face. The man accepted the money and started to thank her repeatedly before she sprinted off again.

XXXXX

Rachel found a table and sat down with two sets of food as she contemplated, not for the first time that day, how odd Quinn was acting. She had just given that man a large amount of money and now she was about to eat lunch in the food court with the biggest loser in school. Before she could think about it any more, she spotted Quinn sprinting towards her again and hurtling to a stop in front of her. She took her seat still panting gently and said, "Sorry, I was as fast as I could be."

Rachel chuckled lightly and replied, "I believe you."

Quinn sat down and that was when she realised the food that Rachel had chosen for them.

"Vegetable Lasagne?" Quinn asked unsurely looking at the food in front of her.

"Its completely vegan. I was impressed they actually sold something like that." Rachel said, happily taking a bite of her food. Quinn started to prod it with a plastic fork before thinking,_ screw it,_ and taking a large bite of it. It wasn`t that bad especially as Rachel was beaming at her as she swallowed her mouthful. It was then Quinn decided to make her move.

"Rach?" Quinn asked nervously looking over at her.

Rachel didn`t really look up from her food as she answered, "Yes Quinn?"

"I got you something." She said as she took a thin black box out of her jacket pocket. She put it in front of Rachel, looked away and waited for her reaction. She heard Rachel`s fork hit the table, the box click open and then a gentle gasp. She had to look up at that to see if she had gone too far but the look on Rachel`s face was priceless.

"Quinn, its beautiful, you didn`t have to do this." She said as she took it out of the box and admired it. Quinn got up out of her chair and kneeled in front of Rachel`s as she took the bracelet out of her hand. She then took Rachel`s arm and placed the bracelet on her wrist as she said, "I didn`t have to but I wanted to. Its beautiful just like you and you deserve to have everything you want."

When she had finished speaking she gently kissed the inside of Rachel`s wrist, just above the bracelet then went to sit back down.

They sat there for a few moments in a stunned silence in which Rachel inspected her new bracelet more closely. She couldn`t let herself think too hard about what Quinn had just said to her because her words felt like something out of a dream, or more like a fantasy. A fantasy she had never told anyone about. It was then that she noticed that there was something different to this charm bracelet. The one in the shop had just musical note charms however the one on her wrist had two extra charms. One was a small golden star and the other one was a perfectly smooth heart.

As she fingered the little charms Quinn explained, "I asked him to put them on as extra. The star because you are a shining star obviously and the heart because..." Quinn couldn`t look at Rachel as her sentence trailed off.

"Because?" Rachel probed, hoping she would say what she always wished she could hear her say.

Quinn had to think quickly because she was afraid that if she told Rachel why she had really done it she would freak out, so she quickly made up a lie.

"Because you are the heart of the team." She could see a small part of the hope disappear from Rachel`s face but when she looked at the bracelet again it returned.

"I love it, thank you." Rachel whispered.

"Your worth it." Quinn admitted but then added, "We better get back to school or we might be late for Glee." Rachel just nodded and they walked out together in silence but this time the air was filled with something more.

XXXXX

They walked into Glee club late even though they had left with plenty of time. It probably had something to do with the fact that as soon as they had pulled out of the car park, Rachel had reached over and held Quinn`s hand. Quinn had been so happy and excited that she had to slow the car down to keep from crashing.

As they walked in now the whole Glee club broke into murmurs as to why they were together and why there was no visible blood. Quinn gave them a death glare and they soon quietened down.

"You have to teach me how to do that." Rachel said quietly in her ear and Quinn replied, "You don`t need to learn when I am around to protect you," before she took her seat at the back of the room next to Santana. Rachel shivered a little at the words whispered into her ear then despite Finn frantically motioning for her to sit next to him she took the seat next to Quinn. She wasn`t sure what inspired that brave move but she was rewarded with a wide smile from Quinn.

Santana leaned over to Quinn but still spoke loud enough to ensure that Rachel could hear, "What are you doing getting all chummy with the midget Q? Lunch was one thing but you can`t make a habit of it."

She sat back looking pleased with herself and Quinn didn`t even bother with the pretence of leaning in as she responded, "She is not a midget, bad mouth her again and I`ll show you what Head Bitch means." Santana looked like she was about to go all Lima Heights on Quinn but she then leaned in and continued and the same volume, "Your my best friend San, I don`t want to upset you but I want to spend more time with Rachel so please accept that."

Santana took a few seconds to regain her calm then a few more to think. "OK Q, I ain`t your mother, do what you want." That was Santana speak for she was letting it go so Quinn was smiling when Mr Schue came into the room. He caught the smile and shouted, "Great positivity so close to sectionals guys, well done."

"Quinn and Santana couldn`t help but snigger at that and Brittany and Rachel both smacked them lightly on the arm at the same time then laughed.

The rest of the session passed quite quickly and for the last five minutes he asked if anyone had something to perform. Quinn`s hand immediately shot up and everyone looked really surprised as she walked to the front. They were even more surprised when she picked up a guitar and started to tune it by ear. She didn`t give any introduction to her song because what was she supposed to say?

_This is for you Rachel because I am secretly in love with you and want to sing about it in front of our friends?_

That would be awkward so she just started to strum and, as Rachel had earlier requested, she sang along this time.

_Lying here with you  
>Listening to the rain<br>Smiling just to see the smile upon your face  
>These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive<br>These are the moments I'll remember all my life  
>I've found all I've waited for<br>And I could not ask for more_

She had been singing with her eyes closed but as she sang the next lines she decided to take a chance and looked Rachel in the eyes as she sang to her.

_Looking in your eyes  
>Seeing all I need<br>Everything you are is everything in me  
>These are the moments<br>I know heaven must exist  
>These are the moments<br>I know all I need is this  
>I've found all I've waited for, yeah<br>And I could not ask for more_

Rachel hadn`t broken the eye contact and Quinn tried to put every ounce of emotion she could into her words. This was the only opportunity she was ever going to get to sing a love song to the girl she loved and she was going to make it count.

_I could not ask for more than this time together  
>I could not ask for more than this time with you<br>And every prayer has been answered  
>Every dream I've had's come true<br>Yeah, right here in this moment  
>Is right where I'm meant to be<em>  
><em>Here with you here with me<br>Yeah_

_These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive  
>These are the moments I'll remember all my life<br>I've found all I've waited for  
>And I could not ask for more<em> 

As the song came to an end everyone was varying stages of amazed and suspicious however all Quinn could see was Rachel who was trying to hold back tears. The bell rang and Mr Schue released everybody but the two girls didn`t move anywhere.

"See you after practice Quinn." Brittany exclaimed cheerfully but Quinn didn`t respond and instead Santana whispered in Brittany`s ear something that sounded a lot like, ' We may not see her B, she might be too busy mounting the hobbit." Brittany gave off an excited squeal and they left the room with Brittany talking about possible double date locations.

They were the last ones in the room and Quinn put down her guitar before walking over to the risers.

"Rachel met her half way but was looking at the floor. Quinn used her index finger to lift her face until they had that connection again and Quinn whispered, "Ask me."

"Was that song for me?"

Her big brown eyes were full of emotion and Quinn answered honestly, "Every word of it."

They both leaned in at the same time and there lips crashed together. They had both wanted this for so long, unbeknownst to the other and the fire quickly escalated between them.

Quinn licked at Rachel`s bottom lip and was quickly granted access as there tongues moved together in a heated battle. Rachel pushed Quinn backwards until she was sat on one of the chairs and then quickly straddled her lap, there lips not breaking apart for a second. Quinn dropped her hands down to Rachel`s ass and squeezed the soft mounds causing Rachel to moan into her mouth.

When they had no choice but to break apart for breathe, Quinn quickly moved to taste the skin of Rachel`s neck, taking a bite here and there. Rachel leaned her head against Quinn`s shoulder as she sighed and scraped her fingernails up and down Quinn`s arms, eliciting a shiver from the blonde girl.

Rachel started to move her hand over to Quinn`s chest when a door slammed loudly nearby and Quinn nearly fell off the chair in surprise. Their bubble had burst but Rachel still didn`t get off Quinn`s lap, just looked around in a panic.

When she was convinced that they were alone she looked back at Quinn who had a huge smile on her face and the ex-cheerleader announced, "I always wanted to do that."

**A/N: The song is 'I could not ask for more' by Edwin McCain. Please review...**


	4. Goodbye

**A/N: There will only be 5 chapters to this story because there is only so much that can happen during a 24 hour period. Anyway here's the next chapter, enjoy...**

If Today Was Your Last Day

Chapter Four- Goodbye

Quinn was so happy with how today was going, that was until the girl of her dreams had ran out of the room. Her legs still felt like jelly from their previous activity and she found it difficult to get out of her chair. When she finally got the feeling back into her legs she ran from the choir room after Rachel. She ran by her locker but she wasn't there so she went to check outside. As she ran she hoped and prayed that Rachel didn`t regret kissing her because that would taint the experience and that was the only chance that Quinn was ever going to get.

As she ran out into the car park she noticed that Rachel was fumbling with the keys to open her car and she took her opportunity. When she got to the car she turned Rachel to her and breathed out,

"Why did you run?"

Rachel purposefully avoided looking at her and fiddled with her car keys but made no move to try to leave. Quinn waited patiently for an answer and eventually Rachel just sighed and said, "I just need time to think." She then started moving towards her car but Quinn couldn`t let that happen so she stood between the car and Rachel and asked, "Do you regret it, because I don`t." She silently begged Rachel to say that she didn`t regret it but the answer she got was the worst answer she could have received.

"Ask me tomorrow." Three words that devastated her. She would never know how Rachel felt before she died. Before she could even think to push for an answer today, Rachel had gotten into her car and started to drive off. She turned and gave Quinn a little wave before she left the car park and then Quinn was on her own.

After all the things that had happened to her in the past 24 hours, Quinn found that this latest occurrence was the hardest thing that she was going to have to accept. She couldn`t run after Rachel. Not unless she wanted to have her last memories of Rachel to be of her shouting at her to get away from her. She would have to accept it. At the thought of everything that she had to accept like the fact that she would never see Rachel again or pretty soon anyone, she sunk to the pavement and cried.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, letting her tears fall to the dust on the floor, thinking about all she was about to lose. She could remember when she felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her and Brittany pulled her up off the ground but kept her in the hug. She cried on best friends shoulder for a while longer until she had finally poured out all of the frustration.

She pulled away and dried her eyes and looked up into Brittany's moist eyes. Brittany was such a caring person that she often cried when other people did just because she felt awful when other people were sad.

"Thanks Britt, I'm OK now, you don`t have to cry." Quinn said reaching up to dry the taller girl's tears.

"I just don`t like it when your not happy Quinn." Brittany explained then added happily , "But San has a great idea on how to cheer you up."

Quinn looked around confused and then not seeing her other best friend asked, "How does S know that I was upset?"

"She was standing here with us but she said you were about to stop crying and that she was going to go and get the car so that we could do something fun to cheer you up." Brittany exclaimed happily. Her happiness was contagious and Quinn was smiling as well when Santana pulled up to them, driving Quinn`s car. She nodded at Quinn with a smile as she got out of the car, threw the keys at Quinn and said, "There is no way I am driving that crap excuse for a car."

Quinn chuckled and punched Santana in the shoulder as she replied, "Love you too S." Santana then quickly walked towards her and drew her into a brief hug, muttering 'Nobody better see this' into her ear before quickly pulling away. She quickly checked around to see if anyone saw and when she was happy she walked around and sat in the passengers seat.

Quinn started the car but then had to ask, "So where are we going?"

"Park." Santana said in a bored voice as she put her feet up on the dashboard and they took off.

XXXXX

The park that Quinn drove them to was one that was well known to all three girls. Ever since they were little they had gone to that park because it was the only one close that had a duck pond and and ice cream stand and of course both of these things were a necessity. As they pulled up, Santana passed a half a loaf of bread to Brittany and she immediately took off towards the pond. The other two girls got out of the car and walked over to the ice cream stand to order. Whilst they waited Santana asked, "What's wrong Q?"

Quinn side and ran her hand through her hair then answered, "I just had to accept some stuff and it was hard but I think I'll be alright." She knew she wasn't telling the whole truth and so did Santana but she just said, "You know I'm here for you, right?"

"I know San and it means the world to me to know that." As Quinn stopped speaking they got to the front of the queue and ordered there usual then walked over to Brittany. She had run out of bread and was now throwing grass to the ducks. They went to sit on a bench and Santana passed Brittany her ice cream and they all sat and ate.

They chatted for a while and then went to play on the swings where Santana and Quinn started a who can swing higher competition with Brittany as the judge. At the end she said, "Its a tie guys and that way we are all winners."

Santana snorted but of course went along with Brittany's decision. Quinn watched her friends and couldn't help but feel her heart warm. They were the best friends she could have ever asked for and she was really going to miss them. She shook that thought out of her head and rejoined her friends.

They seemed to know that Quinn really needed them right now and so they hiked the 20 minutes up the mountain that linked to the park and sat at the top as the sun set. Quinn couldn't help but see the symbolism that as the sun set on the mountain it also set on her life. She once again wondered about Rachel and what she was thinking about what happened that afternoon and prayed that she had no regrets about it. If there was one thing that she had learned from today it was that regrets were something that you really didn't want to have.

The three of them stayed on the mountain until Quinn only had one hour left then she said, "Its time for me to leave so lets get you guys home." They both nodded at her and walked down the mountain. Though they didn't know what was happening they knew that something was wrong and so as Quinn drove them to Santana's house they were silent.

When they arrived Santana put her hand on Quinn's shoulder and squeezed in a comforting gesture then got out of the car. Brittany leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then followed after Santana.

XXXXX

The school was empty and dark when she walked up to it. She was a few minutes early because she didn't want to be late because those men might start getting trigger happy with the people she cared about. She also parked her car a few blocks away because she wanted to walk in the cold night air one last time.

The men were already there waiting as she walked into the car park. She checked her watch to see that she was dead on time and walked forward knowing that she wouldn't see the time when her watch changed. She found that she felt almost content as she stepped towards her death. She was happy, finally knowing that she had done everything she had wanted to do and that she hadn't wasted her last day. With that final thought she closed her eyes and waited for the sound of the shot and pain and blackness that would follow it.

XXXXX

Rachel`s mind was abuzz with thoughts since she had left Quinn standing in the car park. She was constantly going over the whole day in her mind and trying to understand. She had came home and eaten her dinner with her Dads. She had done her chores then tried to do her homework but she couldn't clear through all the thoughts in her head. She finally decided that she was going to take a run to try to clear her head, especially because her elliptical was still not fixed and she needed her daily exercise.

Her feet pounded against the pavement and for a few moments it brought her the relief that she needed. That was until she started to remember how she had bumped into Quinn last night on her run and that set her frantic thoughts into motion again.

Before she realised what was happening she found herself running around the back of her high school and she thought of all the wonderful experiences with Quinn she had, had in there today. She could except the fact that she was gay, as her fathers had raised her to be very open minded but it was the uncertainty of being with Quinn. Quinn had spent most of her life tormenting her, well ever since they hit puberty, (which in hindsight kind of made sense.) Rachel had definitely forgiven her because that was the kind of person she was but there was always that worry.

She was dragged out of her thoughts by a man's voice sounding loudly and confidently nearby and she stopped behind a pillar to see what was happening.

"So Quinn Fabray, I'm very curious. How did you spend your last day?" A man with a smooth voice asked. Rachel immediately began to panic as she saw the guns the men held and Quinn stood in front of them with a resigned look on her face. _What did he mean last day? _She thought in a panic as she pulled out her phone and dialled 911. She whispered the details of what was happening into the phone and peered around the pillar again whilst listening to Quinn's response.

"Why do you care?" Quinn asked as her final act of rebellion.

"Oh come now Quinn, we went through all the trouble to give you this opportunity when we could have killed you last night. You can at least be polite enough to talk to us a little." The man said with fake kindness dripping from his voice. Rachel gasped as the man spoke and realised that Quinn was in very real danger and she prayed that the Police would hurry up and arrive already. She just needed Quinn to stall them and then she might survive.

"Just kill me, I have no intention of chatting about it for a while beforehand." Quinn calmly said.

"OK then we will just have to make you talk." The man exclaimed as he walked slowly towards Quinn and both girls held there breath. With lightening fast speed he drew a knife out of the back of his belt, grabbed Quinn`s arm with the other and sliced it open.

Rachel felt as if she wanted to scream then run towards Quinn but held herself back knowing that it would get them both killed. Quinn sank to her knees and grunted in pain at the sensation as she started to bleed heavily.

"I`ll ask you again Quinn."

Quinn grit her teeth together to get passed the pain the grunted out, "I quit the cheerio`s...uh...broke up with...Sam...went after...my dream girl." Quinn was looking like she was about to faint at this point and Rachel was starting to get more panicked the paler Quinn got. _When are the damn Police getting here?_ Rachel questioned in her head.

"How very touching and how very kind of you to go along with my request. I think I shall do the honourable thing and go along with your request." He said pretending he wasn`t about to kill her.

He drew out his gun and pointed it at her forehead.

"Wait!" She said as loudly as she could but the words could barely be heard. She struggled to get to her feet but once she did she looked him dead in the eye and nodded her head for him to continue. He repositioned his gun over her heart and clicked the safety off.

Rachel knew that she had to do something because the Police weren't going to get there in time and she had to protect the girl she loved. The words shocked her but she didn't let her distract her from what she had to do. Using all the speed her small stature would afford her she sprinted the few metres to where the man was stood and barrelled into the side of him just as he squeezed the trigger.

As they both fell to the ground Rachel could hear the sound of sirens nearby and she immediately felt hope blossom in her chest until she looked up to see a still blonde form led in front of her.

At the sound of the sirens the men started to run away but three squad cars quickly sped into the car park and the men were quickly detained. Rachel heard and saw none of it but could only see Quinn lying in an ever expanding pool of blood and she crawled over to her quickly drenching herself in the liquid. She cupped Quinn's cheeks in her hands and Quinn's eyelids fluttered open. She took in the sight of those beautiful hazel eyes and begged, "Please Quinn, stay with me." Quinn tried to say something but only a croaking noise came out. She tried again and whispered the words against her ear. "I... love...you...Goodbye." Then her eyes fluttered closed again and she went still.

Rachel took her by the shoulder of her soaked t-shirt and shook her gently calling her name and getting increasingly louder. "Quinn...Quinn...QUINN!"

XXXXX

"_Mrs Fabray?"_

"Yes, whom may I say is calling?"

"_This is Officer Brown of the Lima Police Department. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this Ma'am but your daughter Quinn was involved in a shooting this evening."_

"Oh My God is she OK? Please tell me she is OK. She's all I have left in the world."

"_Mrs Fabray, you need to come down to the station and we will tell you everything."_

"I just need to know if she's alive."

**A/N: Duh Duh Dum... cliffhanger. Sorry if you think I'm evil. REVIEW...**


	5. I Would Do It All Again

**A/N: I'm sorry that this update took so long, I found this kind of hard to write but here it is. Hope you enjoy it...**

If Today Was Your Last Day

Chapter 5- I Would Do It All Again

When she saw Rachel running towards her, it felt like her heart was about to stop. It happened so fast and it was like she had appeared out of nowhere. She couldn`t stop her, all she could do was watch and hope that everything would turn out alright. Rachel knocked into the man just as he let out a shot but before Quinn could even worry about her safety, she felt the left side of her body rip apart. Quinn fell to the ground then fell into darkness.

It wasn't long though before she heard the voice of an angel calling her name and she felt the need to find her angel. She cracked open her eyes and saw Rachel sat above her with tears in her eyes and pleading. It was then she realised that she was about to die and she had something vitally important that she needed to say before that happened. She tried her best to speak but realised that there was no sound. She tried again as she began to see black spots.

"I... love...you...Goodbye." To say that had wiped the last of her strength but she couldn't have been happier to have said those words. She knew she would probably have died with a smile on her face as she once again sank into the blackness.

XXXXX

The hospital was quiet and Rachel absolutely hated it. There was nothing to distract her from the seemingly never ending waiting and every second was beginning to feel like a lifetime. She decided that she needed to get up and get a drink just to have something to do. All the eyes of the people in the room turned to her as she got up but she couldn`t bring herself to look at them or the fear in their eyes.

She had been the first one to get to the waiting room because she had rode in the ambulance with Quinn. Then Mrs Fabray had arrived and had been strangely silent. Santana and Brittany came in next and Santana had started shouted at anyone that would listen. Brittany also stayed silent. Her Father Leroy was the surgeon that was working on Quinn and would send someone out with updates occasionally but the last update had been two hours ago and she was getting restless.

As she walked to the vending machines she thought about the last update.

_A man wearing green scrubs walked towards them taking off his surgical mask and asked, "Mrs Fabray?" Judy stood up but didn`t acknowledge him in any other way. She was scared and you could see it on her face. They were all waiting for someone to come out of that door and give them bad news. _

"_We are still working on your daughter and she is stable but we have not yet managed to remove the bullet. It is lodged in a very important section of her heart so we have to be extremely careful. We will keep you updated." He said with a gentle smile and then walked back through the doors._

Rachel spent five minutes looking at the snacks but didn`t get one. Instead she thought about Quinn and the words she had said in the car park which she refused to refer to as Quinn`s last words. Quinn told her that she loved her. At any other time Rachel would have thought it was the most incredible thing in the world to hear Quinn say so sincerely but right now she couldn`t help but think that she was too late.

When she had left school earlier that day she was confused but standing in the hospital knowing that she could lose Quinn at any second, she wasn't confused any more. She knew that she loved Quinn as well and she just hoped that she would get the chance to tell her.

She walked back to the waiting room to see Brittany asleep on Santana's lap. Santana herself was reading a magazine but had not turned the page since Rachel had left and Judy was staring off into space. Just as she retook her seat that same man from earlier walked towards them with an unreadable look on his face. Rachel felt her heart stop as he opened his mouth.

"We have been able to remove the bullet and Quinn is now in recovery. She is currently unconscious but you may go in to see her briefly if you wish." He said with an encouraging smile before turning to talk to the receptionist.

"Judy, do you want to go and see her first?" Santana asked carefully.

"I just can't." Judy whispered before running off in the opposite direction. They watched her go and knew that they shouldn't stop her. "Well then you next Berry." Santana said as she softly stroked Brittany's hair.

"Why me?" Rachel asked genuinely confused but still desperate to see Quinn.

"Because your practically her girlfriend and girlfriend trumps best friend." She said begrudgingly.

"I...I'm not her...her girlfriend." Rachel stuttered out nervously.

Santana just snorted and responded, "So I didn't see you two making out in the choir room after Cheerio's practise yesterday?" When Rachel was too flustered to reply Santana said, "Just go Berry."

Rachel didn't need any more prompting than that and took off out of her seat. After asking a Doctor where Quinn was she finally found her room. She took a deep breathe then slowly pushed the door open.

What she saw on the other side both relieved and scared her. Quinn was led in the bed with her blonde hair spread across the pillow and bandages along her arm and left shoulder. Rachel crossed the room slowly to the sleeping form and held Quinn's hand. After a few minutes of just trying to memorize her face she started to whisper.

"I don't know if you can hear me Quinn but I need to tell you this anyway. I don't know why you went to the car park or why you agreed to let yourself be killed but I do know that it nearly destroyed me when I saw you get shot. I realised something. I know its probably something I should wait to say to you but nearly losing you yesterday made me realise that time is short and I just have to tell you that...I love you."

Tears had started to stream down her cheeks and she closed her eyes and rested Quinn's hand against her forehead. She felt Quinn's hand start to twitch and looked up in time for Quinn to wipe the tears away from her eyes.

"Quinn!"

"I love you too." Quinn said simply and Rachel leaned down and connected their lips together. It was more gentle then the last time and it was simply a way to express their love for one another.

When Quinn tried to move her left hand to cup Rachel`s cheek she let out a small grunt of pain and Rachel immediately broke away from her.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked in a panicked tone.

"Just moved my arm wrong, no need to worry." Quinn said with a sharp intake of breathe as she readjusted herself.

"I'm going to get a nurse." Rachel said, already halfway to the door.

"Rachel stop, I don't need a nurse, I just need you."

Rachel stopped as Quinn spoke then slowly made her way back to the bed as she said, "You sure know how to charm a girl Quinn Fabray."

"One of my many talents." Quinn replied

"You are very cocky." Rachel said and raised her eyebrow in a fair impression of Quinn's.

"That's why you love me." Quinn cheekily responded as she reached out her hand for Rachel and added, "Lie with me?"

It was a question and Rachel unsurely replied, "Won't I hurt you?"

"Only if you say no."

Quinn had a pleading look in her eyes and Rachel just couldn't turn her down so she gently crawled into the bed on Quinn's non-bandaged side. They held each other tightly both well aware of how close they had come to being torn apart and just happy to be together again. Eventually the question that had been bothering Rachel came to the front of her mind and she asked, "Quinn, why did you go to the car park if you knew that those men were going to kill you?"

She looked up into the Hazel eyes that she was getting used to drowning in and waited as Quinn thought about her answer.

"The night we met on the run those men kidnapped me." Quinn stopped for a moment as Rachel gasped and she gave her a reassuring smile before continuing. "They knew who I was and they wanted to mess with me. They told me that they would give me one day and if I didn't come back at the end of it then they would hurt the people that I love. I couldn't let them do that Rach, do you understand?"

Quinn was practically begging for her to understand at this point and Rachel put her hand on Quinn's cheek and said, "Of course I understand Quinn, you protected the people you love and I think it was very brave."

Quinn pressed her lips against Rachel`s hand and whispered, "Thank you."

"So this is why you started doing all those things, quitting the cheerio's, being friends with me and breaking up with Sam?" Rachel asked trying to change the subject slightly.

"Yeah, I just didn't want to have any regrets. I wanted to live my last day the way that I wished I had had the guts to live everyday." Quinn explained with conviction in her voice.

They both settled into silence and both girls were silently thankful that Quinn had done what she had done though both regretted the fact that Quinn was in hospital due to what had happened. Before either of them knew it they had fallen asleep held tightly in each others arms with gentle smiles on their faces.

XXXXX

Quinn got out of the hospital four days after she had woken up. Though she still had a lot of healing to do she had been complaining so much that the Doctors eventually let her go with the promise that she would spend one day at home then go back to school after the weekend. Quinn reluctantly agreed to this condition purely because she was so desperate to leave.

She had had lots of visitors during her stay including all of the Glee club plus Rachel had rarely left her side. It was still a relief to be in the fresh air as she, Rachel and Judy walked towards Judy's car.

When they got in the car Rachel automatically reached to put on Quinn's seatbelt for her as her arm was in a sling and Quinn said with a sigh, "Rachel honey, I know you are trying to help but I can do some stuff on my own."

A look of hurt flashed in Rachel`s eyes and so Quinn quickly took her hand and added, "I am really grateful that you think I am worth all the time you have been spending looking after me but I want to do some stuff for myself now." Quinn really hoped that Rachel understood what she was trying to say and Rachel nodded.

"Of course Quinn, I will give you the space you desire." Rachel answered and turned her head to look out of the car window. Quinn leaned over to her and used her one finger on her good arm to pull Rachel`s face to her. She then gave her an incredibly gentle kiss then whispered, "I love you so much.'

The sincerity in her voice was enough for Rachel to forget her anger and she quickly dropped in for another kiss. It quickly became more heated and they both pulled away as Judy coughed from the front seat, Rachel with a blush on her face and Quinn looking slightly proud of herself.

Judy was a lot more accepting of the girls than Quinn had ever hoped that she could be. It had been impossible to hide their blossoming relationship from Judy especially as when she had finally drawn up the courage to see Quinn she had found Quinn and Rachel asleep in bed. At first she was a little shocked as the two girls were clearly in a more then intimate embrace but she just sat there and looked at her daughter's smile as she slept. She wasn't going to take the risk of losing Quinn again and she found that she was a lot more accepting as she watched the girls interact for the few days that Quinn was in hospital. It was now clear in her mind, as it was in the mind of everyone that saw them, that they were meant to be together. They balanced each other out perfectly. It was because of these developments that Judy was able to say jokingly as they drove back home, "A mother doesn't need to see that."

"Then don't look." Quinn responded swooping in for another quick kiss. Rachel and Quinn couldn't stop beaming all the way home.

XXXXX

The few days at home for Quinn had been worse than the hospital because at least at the hospital Rachel had been there. Now that Quinn was home, Rachel`s dads were saying that there was no need to be visiting Quinn all the time and so she was limited in seeing her girlfriend.

That was another development that had happened at the hospital. The two girls had been watching some crappy TV show on the little TV in Quinn's room when Quinn had just let it slip out. When Rachel had finally came out of shock at the suddenness of the question she had squealed a 'Yes' and hugged Quinn. Quinn had then said, "So I know I can't really take you on a date yet but when I get out I promise to blow you away Rachel Berry." That had earned her a kiss and Judy had chosen that moment to walk into the room. Not that either girl noticed and so she just walked straight back out of the room.

So needless to say that Quinn was getting withdrawal symptoms from Rachel and was significantly crankier until she got to see her on Monday. Rachel came to pick her up because Quinn obviously couldn't drive with her arm in a sling. As soon as the front door opened that morning, Rachel felt herself be roughly pulled into the house by a one armed girl and pushed against the wall. She felt a pair of soft lips push against her and one arm thread around her waist. She let her hands trail into soft golden hair as Quinn slid her tongue against Rachel`s bottom lip. Just as they were really getting into it they were once again interrupted by Judy Fabray.

"Why am I the one who always seems to interrupt you two during these moments?" Judy asked herself as she turned back into the kitchen and called over her shoulder, "Have a good day girls."

"Thanks Judy." Rachel called back politely.

"Don't thank her, its because of her that I'm not kissing you right now." Quinn said with a slight huff.

"No, your not kissing me right now because we need to get to school. You don't want to be late on your first day back." Rachel answered already turning to the door. Quinn reluctantly followed her out only because of the prospect of kissing her in the car.

When they pulled up outside the school all thoughts instantly fled from Quinn's mind as she stared at a section of the car park that was cordoned off. There was a very noticeable stain in the middle of the area and Rachel reached over and took her hand.

Quinn was quickly dealing with the fact that she had nearly died and she was moving on with her life with Rachel helping her. Looking at where she had nearly died though, where she had said goodbye to Rachel. It was too much. She shuddered as she tried to pull herself together and Rachel leaned over and kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, "You can do this Quinn, I'm here for you." Quinn knew that was true and it gave her strength enough to get out of the car and walk into the school.

She knew that it was going to be a hard road to get her life back to normal. As she walked through the hallways people would stop to stare at her. All the things that she had done that day had made her a completely different person and people were eager to see what the new Quinn Fabray would do. It scared her a little to not be in control and she started to panic when she saw someone whisper behind their hands. She felt the need to run out of the school until she felt Rachel slide her hand into her own. A second later she felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Santana and Brittany walking next to her.

For the first time in her life, with no expectations on her, her friends next to her and her girlfriend holding her hand, Quinn felt truly safe and happy and a huge grin grew on her face. She couldn't help but think, as a feeling of peace settled on her,

_I would do it all again if today was my last day._

**A/N: Well that is the end and I hope you enjoyed it. I really loved writing this so thank you all for all the support. Until next time...**


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